“Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful, but there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas… It is a harmless gas.” –Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

My first thought when I heard Representative Bachmann say this was, ‘she must be joking.’ There are literally thousands of scrutinized and peer reviewed scientific studies showing the harmful effects of carbon dioxide. I thought, ‘is she really that ignorant? If so, how can she get away with not doing the research required for her job? Or, does she know about the studies and deny them? If so, what gives her the authority to deny scientists when she has no qualifications to debate them?’ Then I brushed it off and laughed, thinking it didn’t matter because no one would believe a word she said anyway. I was wrong. Apparently, the public hears what Bachmann and other climate change deniers have to say and blindly follow without thinking to fact-check their claims. A Pew research study shows that only 48% of Americans agree climate change is a threat. Apparently, the trend of denying climate science is catching on fast, and it’s becoming commonplace in America to think uninformed “opinions” on climate change have the same merit as scientific fact.

The detrimental outcome of this mentality is poor policy, which in turn has led to disastrous consequences felt around the globe. For example, the current bills to regulate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are, as Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) stated, “the culmination of one of the most anti-science and anti-health campaigns I’ve witnessed in my 22 years as a member of Congress.” One bill bans scientists from advising the committee on issues ‘directly or indirectly involving their own work.’ The bill was made to stop a ‘conflict of interest,’ but as Union of Concerned Scientists director Andrew A. Rosenberg puts it, “In other words, academic scientists who know the most about a subject can’t weigh in, but experts paid by corporations who want to block regulations can.”

And the effects of American misunderstanding of science and opinion reach all the way to members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. While debating Obama’s proposed bill to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, committee member Senator Larry Buschon denied that CO2 affects global temperatures (and subsequently public health) by saying, “There are public comments out there saying that question has been asked and answered, saying no.” He went on to say he could read the scientific literature on the topic, but he “doesn’t believe it.” Not only is it acceptable in America to have such an ill-informed member of Congress with no understanding of how to support claims with proper facts, but this man was appointed to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, a committee that has the potential to reject this important piece of legislation.

Unfortunately, Senator Buschon isn’t alone. Senator James Inhofe recently took control of the Environment and Public Works Committee. He wrote a book called The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future. Speaker of the House John Boehner has used the argument that he’s “not qualified to debate the science over climate change” as an excuse to one, not put forth effort to learn about climate change and its effects, and two, to vote against bills protecting our planet from climate change.

As a result of American unwillingness to accept climate change, we have done next to nothing to reduce our carbon footprint (the second largest in the world) or to invest in renewable/nuclear energy. And while most of us may not notice the consequences in our daily lives, it is the vulnerable peoples and countries around the world that feel the impact of American ignorance and inaction. Bangladesh, for example, is the country hit hardest by climate change, yet it does very little to contribute to it. Because of its position at low sea level, sea level rises caused by climate change have destroyed towns, crops, and animal habitats. Typhoons and floods have also decreased agricultural production by a staggering 50% in a nation with extreme poverty and population growth.

Clearly, the effects of a misinformed public are dire. Our choices have serious consequences, and they don’t just affect us. America needs to start taking responsibility for its own inactions, and it starts with combatting the scientific illiteracy so pervasive in our society. Maybe once Americans are truly informed about the dangers of climate change, we will be able to get past arguing over the validity of climate change in Congress and start arguing about what to do about it before it’s too late.